Faults:

Rear shock absorbers squeaking.

Rear anti-roll bar bushes replaced.

Air conditioning unit faulty.

Front brakes required shims to stop knocking.

E.C.U. required reprogramming to increase performance.

Folding wing mirrors stuck.

C.d. player jumps tracks.

General Comments:

The car is very comfortable and well engineered, providing a relaxing ride.

Apart from the 7 faults in under 3 months the car does what is required.

The big gripe is the reliability, every two to three weeks it's back in to the dealer for repairs.

Faults:

Broken front support spring (caused by repeated bumping up curbs - I now have a dropped curb!)

Slight pitting to the alloy wheels - a known problem with the IS200 - rectified on later models.

General Comments:

This car is an absolute gem.

The 6 cylinder 2 liter engine is willing, although slightly underpowered. It cruises beautifully at motorway speeds, and gives a growl of excitement on kick-down with the auto box in Sport mode.

Although some critics hate class the interior styling as excessive, I think it looks great, and unlike anything else on the road.

The car has been incredibly reliable, and returns a regular 30mpg which is a combination of 50% central London driving and 50% motorway cruising.

If it wasn't for CO2 emissions making it a now uneconomic choice for a company car I'd have another one like a shot. So far I've test driven a Mercedes C180, MG ZT, BMW 318 and nothing has come close to the enjoyment I get from the Lexus.

For a private buyer I would find it hard to recommend anything else, and if you can afford the tax as a company car, it does feel great to stand out slightly in the car park.

Faults:

All alloy wheels have had some corrosion and have been replaced once. They are still corroding!

CD player occasionally gets stuck so that it doesn't recognize a CD and it gets jammed inside the player.

I have an annoying little rattle from somewhere in the drivers side dash.

I do 20-25k miles per year and most of this on motorways. The paint across the front of the bonnet is not holding up too well.

General Comments:

I lover the car, it's just a shame that the things which have gone wrong are annoying little niggles rather than showstoppers.

The car seats are very comfortable, but I feel they would benefit from lumbar support also.

Having driven it for nearly two years, I am now finding it a little underpowered in the lower gears and so low pressutre turbo wouldn't go amiss.

Tires have lasted well. I'm still on my first set. Good for a low profile tire despite what I read before I bought it.

Rear leg room is good compared with others in its class. I tested BMW 3 series and didn't find that as comfortable as the Lexus.

I would definitely consider another IS200 for my next car if it were a little more economical. I struggle to get more than 30 mpg, whereas I have colleagues with BMW 320 who gets 34+ mpg regularly and drives his car harder than I drive mine.